Isofoton launches subsidiary in South Africa 

In an effort to expand its business activities in the countries of southern Africa, the Spanish cell and module manufacturer Isofoton has launched a subsidiary in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

»In 1999 we won a tender to electrify 1,000 schools in South Africa. And in the course of the project, we detected a lot of business opportunities,« says Marco de Bianchi, Isofoton's manager for Africa. The company, which began operations last December, sees itself in the role of a wholesaler offering PV equipment to integrators, distributors, and utilities. According to Bianchi, modules and charge controllers are imported from Isofoton in Spain, while pumps and lights are made in South Africa. 

The Spanish parent company, Isofoton, owns 80 percent of Isofoton Southern Africa. Two South African citizens, Theodore Drummond van der Merve and Rodney Buttle, who are both members of the company's board of directors, hold the other 20 percent. Buttle also holds the position of general manager. For its first three business years, Isofoton Southern Africa has set ambitious targets: revenues of $3 to $4 million USD in the first year, $6 to $7 million in the second, and $10 million in the third.

Michael Schmela
© PHOTON International, March 2001p